Rare Rides Icons: The Jeep Wagoneer, the First Luxury SUV Ever (Part III) (opens in new tab)

The Jeep Wagoneer debuted in 1963 as a new kind of utility wagon, designed with everyday ease of use and practicality in mind ( Part I). As a midsize truck, it was smaller and had better handling than its competition. Wagoneer even featured an automatic transmission on four-wheel drive models, a novelty at the time ( Part II). But perhaps most important for its success was the clean-sheet design of its wagon body. The Wagoneer appeared in American showrooms in 1963 alongside its pr…